BW ESS has started commercial operations at the first phase of the Hams Hall BESS in the West Midlands, United Kingdom (BW ESS press release, 02/11/2026). Phase 1 has a capacity of 350 MW/1.2 GWh and reached commercial operation 20 days after energisation. The project is being developed with Sungrow, Energy-IO, National Grid and NESO as partners, and is supported by a 10-year floor and optimisation agreement with EDF.
With the development of the second phase, the project is expected to reach a final capacity of 400 MW/1.4 GWh, enough to supply the electricity needs of about 1.3 million homes for up to 3.5 hours.
The Hams Hall BESS is adjacent to National Grid’s Hams Hall substation, and is part of the 2.6 GWh Ardenham portfolio, co-owned by BW ESS and energy and decarbonisation investor AIP Management. BW ESS has over 1.8 GWh in operation worldwide and about 10 GWh under or pre-construction.